Stars und Sternchen! » if they lose starter Isaiah Thomas in free

The Sacramento Kings got some much-needed depth at point guard and a possible backup plan if they lose starter Isaiah Thomas in free agency. The Kings and Darren Collison agreed to a three-year contract worth about $16 million Thursday, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because teams cant officially sign free agents until the NBAs moratorium on moves is lifted July 10. The Los Angeles Times first reported the agreement. Collison opted out of the final year of his contract with the Clippers that would have paid him $1.9 million next season. He averaged 11.4 points and 3.7 assists in 25.9 minutes last season, primarily as Chris Pauls backup. Collison has been a starter at times throughout his career since New Orleans drafted him 21st overall in 2009 out of UCLA, including 35 games last season while Paul was injured. He also played two seasons with Indiana and one in Dallas before helping the Clippers reach the second round of the playoffs. Clippers coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers had called Collison the teams No. 1 priority in free agency. Instead, Collison left for a big pay raise in Californias capital city and possibly even a chance to start. With so much money already committed to DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay next season, the Kings chances of keeping Thomas already were going to be tough this summer. Thomas, the last pick of the 2011 draft who has become a fan favourite in Sacramento, has worked his way into being a full-time starter who averaged 20.3 points and 6.3 assists last season. The market for ball-handling guards also has been a booming one this summer. Shaun Livingston left the Brooklyn Nets for a three-year, $16 million deal with Golden State. Kyle Lowry has a contract in place to return to Toronto reportedly worth $48 million over four years, and Kyrie Irving agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract extension with Cleveland. Because Thomas is a restricted free agent, the Kings can match any offer he receives. Whether they will -- or can afford to do so -- remains unclear. The Kings also are counting on some of their young guards to blossom. Last years second-round pick, point guard Ray McCallum, showed signs of improving when he played bigger minutes in the final weeks of the season. And Sacramento has drafted a shooting guard with its last two first-round picks, Ben McLemore (seventh overall) out of Kansas last year and Michigans Nik Stauskas (eighth overall) this June. Owner Vivek Ranadive, general manager Pete DAlessandro and coach Michael Malone have made as many moves as any team in the league since taking over the Kings last year, so its also possible Sacramento could shuffle its roster with more trades again this summer. Air Jordan 1 For Sale Australia . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Retro Australia . The Kelowna, B.C. rink made the announcement on their facebook page on Thursday night. http://www.wholesaleairjordan1australia.com/. - Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que. Air Jordan 1 For Sale Cheap . The ongoing funk on penalty kill and an unusually quiet night on home ice for the power play divided the Leafs from the Bruins at the ACC in a rare Sunday night affair. Wholesale Air Jordan 1 Australia . They all do actually — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 22, 2014There is no confirmation that the date is actually happening, but that didnt stop Embiid from getting dressed up. Fresh cut..... Getting ready for dinner http://t.co/NNIfKyZQzx — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 23, 2014 Almost 930..Nine former NHL players filed major class action lawsuits against the National Hockey League in a U.S. District Court on Thursday, alleging that the league has generated billions of dollars while subjecting its players to the imminent risk of head trauma leading to devastating and long-term negative health consequences. The players in the suit - Dan LaCouture, Dan Keczmer, Jack Carlson, Richard Brennan, Brad Maxwell, Mike Peluso, Tom Younghans, Allan Rourke and Scott Bailey - are represented by Robbins Geller, the firm that won over $7 billion for victims of the 2001 Enron fraud. "As opposed to other elite-level ice hockey organizations, like the European ice hockey leagues and the Olympics, the NHL fostered and promoted an extremely physical game of ice hockey," read the complaint. "Through enclosed rink designs and lax rules for fighting, the NHL vectored a culture of extreme violence and packaged the spoils to adoring fans. "The NHL has failed and continues to fail to warn its players of these risks and consequences of head trauma, concealing material scientific and anecdotal information from its players.dddddddddddd The NHL has failed to institute policies and protocols that could have and will protect its players from suffering or exacerbating head trauma sustained during practice or in games. "Specifically, despite the fact that the NHLs violent game design induces head trauma, including concussions, the NHL has failed and continues to fail to warn its players of the risks to their lives and the devastating and long-term negative health effects. In fact, the NHL affirmatively concealed specific anecdotal evidence from players and scientific evidence about the health risks and consequences associated with playing in the NHL, including head injuries. To maintain its billions in revenue, the NHL also purposefully failed to institute policies and protocols that would protect its players from exacerbating injuries sustained during practice or in games." The NHL will release a statement on Thursday afternoon addressing the lawsuits. More to follow. ' ' '